All Posts by Andrew Martonik

Owners may use any other Micro USB charger on the laptop in the meantime
Google and HP confirmed today that the companies have halted sales of the Chromebook 11 in all stores. Although at first the reasoning was not known, Google and HP have now given a statement clarifying that a small number of reports indicating that the laptop's Micro USB charger is overheating is the reason. The post from...

Let's see the best pictures of the cities where you live and visit
Following up on our Halloween photo contest extravaganza, we're going to get back into the flow of things with our regular weekly photo contest. That means you'll have just a week to go take your picture and enter it, but it also means there are more prizes to give away to more winners. The prompt you'll be following this week...

Put trade-in value towards new phone, tablet, accessories or service fees
AT&T is refreshing a smartphone trade-in deal that will give you at least $100 towards a phone, tablet or accessory purchase made at a carrier store. All you have to do is head into any company-owned AT&T retail location and trade in a smartphone that is no more than three years old and is in good, working...

News platform to completely replace 'LinkedIn Today'
Pulse News is receiving complete integration with LinkedIn with its latest update. Building from LinkedIn's purchase of the news app back in April, Pulse will now sync and offer better sharing and content options when signing in with your LinkedIn account. While you're still able to sign in with your email, if you choose to go the LinkedIn...

Push games to your console, chat with friends and keep up with stats on the go
It's that time of year (decade, really) where folks can get their hands on next-generation consoles, and to match up with its PS4 launch Sony has just put a new PlayStation App in Google Play. For those who want to stay in the loop even when they're not at home playing, the PlayStation App lets you keep in the loop...

Speed runs, new events and news are all included
Ndemic Creation's infectious title Plague Inc. is receiving an update today that brings a whole bunch of new game content. The so-called "Mutation 6 warning" update includes a new game mode called "speed runs," which as it sounds has the single goal of seeing how fast you can kill the entire world. It also includes new CDC content — the Centers...

Customers getting dropped from LTE to 3G because of 'capacity constraints'
Speaking at an investor conference, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo admitted that his carrier's network isn't offering a high enough quality of service in big cities. Although it reminds everyone regularly that it has the nation's largest LTE network, the admission that Verizon is coming up short in data speeds and experience...

App still needs to be paired with a Windows component to install firmware
In its push to make installing its custom firmware easier for the average user, CyanogenMod has just launched its installer app in the Play Store. You'll need more than just the app to get through the process, however. After installing and going through a few basic instructions related to turning on USB debugging and the...

Another U.S. city receives Google's crazy-fast Internet service
The latest big Google Fiber expansion is in Provo, Utah, and today marks the beginning of home installations of the new service. Following up on the deal that officially closed in July, residents now have their chance to get their gigabit Internet installed in their home. If you don't want to drop the money on full service speeds...

Google also confirms Google Play Music for Glass and stereo earbuds
Google has published a new page related to its Glass Explorer Program that lets anyone sign up for a chance to get the latest in wearable technology. Building on the recent expansion that let first-round Explorers invite three friends to get their own Google Glass, this new sign-up form simply asks for a name, email, country...

Service can cost as little as $75 per language for a small app
Google is working to bring more of Google Play to countries with languages other than English, and launching its App Translation Service is a big step in the right direction. Announced back in May at Google I/O, the App Translation Service is an easy and relatively inexpensive way for app developers to have their apps and Play...

A Chrome OS laptop with a bundle of great features, marred by a case of performance anxiety
Update: A statement from Google and HP confirms that the Chromebook 11 is currently no longer on sale, due to a small number of reports that the charger is overheating during use. We will keep up with this story as the situation develops.
There's no shortage of Chrome OS devices out there to choose...

A healthy selection of app picks to check out this week
It's Saturday, and along with all of the other great things that come with the weekend we have the Apps of the Week column for you to enjoy. We take up this time slot every week to show off a collection of apps from the Android Central writers, each one showing off an app they've been using in the last week.
This week's collection is...

On-demand highlights and news available even without cable subscription
What some would call a long-overdue update to the WatchESPN app has finally arrived, and it seems to have been worth the wait. While the previous version was certainly functional, it was far from attractive or a joy to use. The new version takes things to the next level, with a completely redesigned interface. You now have...

Google's latest Nexus devices hitting the UNcarrier
T-Mobile is set to start offering both of Google's latest devices, the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, in the coming weeks. The carrier announced today it will put the Nexus 5 up for sale starting November 14th online (November 20th in-store) for $449.99 off-contract, or at $41.99 down and $17 per month (also working out to $449.99) on a Simple Choice...

Two different approaches to making a great phone
Each time a Nexus device is released, it garners quite a bit of attention. And rightfully so, when Google releases its own phone once a year it's a pretty big deal for Android enthusiasts. Once the dust settles on all of the new device news, we start to compare it to other top-notch devices that are at the top of everyone's minds.
We kicked...

Big camera, mid-range specs and now with U.S. LTE
Following up on its announcement earlier this week, AT&T has started offering the Galaxy S4 zoom for $199 with a two-year contract. The smartphone/camera mash-up will set you back a full $529 if you're looking to buy without a contract, or $25 per month if you want to finance with AT&T Next. For that money you'll be getting the point-...

Unlocked GSM or Verizon, both still with 32GB of storage
Following up on a $100 price cut from the Moto Maker site, Motorola has cut the price of Moto X Developer Editions on its site as well. $549.99 will now get you either a GSM or Verizon-compatible version of the phone with 32GB of storage that's ready to be cracked open and played with if you choose. In either case you'll get an exclusive...

Get a deeper look into the many features of Samsung's latest Note
Ever been curious about using a Note device, but never given one a try? Well Samsung is hoping that an app in the Play Store called the Galaxy Note 3 Experience will help you discover all of its great features. You get a chance to watch some promo videos, and live interactive full-screen tutorials showing how features work on...

Still no outgoing MMS support, but it's a step in the right direction
Google announced that full MMS support will hit Google Voice in early 2014, but it has made at least one small step towards that goal today by adding T-Mobile MMS receive support. Just as has (theoretically) been the case with Sprint for some time now, Google Voice users receiving an MMS from a T-Mobile customer will have...